Secret Oath
by Owl-head
Summary: When split between two clans and two worlds, a young apprentice must decide where his loyalties lie. In-progress. Revamped.
1. New Beginnings

**This is written in first-person POV. If this isn't your cup of tea, please don't rip on my fanfic because of it.**

**I do not own any of this content besides the characters. I have only read ****_Into the Wild_****, and know nothing of the cats featured in the subsequent books. Any cats you know of with the same names as those in my story are purely coincidental.**

**I do understand that words like "bear", "fox" and "sky" were not known to the cats of Erin Hunter's books. However, I have implemented this terminology to add a bit of humor.**

**Please enjoy!**

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**The Meeting Rock,  
BLAZECLAN CAMP**

"Gather around, cats of BlazeClan. Our new camp is spoken of by StarClan," The grey she-cat leader spoke from atop a large rock. Unlike the other rocks around camp, this particular boulder was the size of three warriors and sported the same dark hue as my own fur. If you looked close enough, you could also see sprinkles of white in the stone. Rigid cracks and craters ran down the rocks entire surface in various patterns. These craters soaked up water from the sky on a hot day, and collected wet snow on a cold day. Tonight, as a black pelt hugged the forest and a cool breeze flew in from the north, the rock glistened with a layer of white snow. Pushing through a rambling crowd of haughty warriors and wide-eyed kits, I found a place near the front with my fellow apprentices.

Nestling in, I wrapped my black tail around my bony forepaws and let my eyelids droop. We had recently moved our clan camp to a more central location, closer to the rushing rivers and fertile forests, abundant with fresh-prey. I didn't see the point; we had spent the entire night trekking along the dangerous two-legs' Thunderpaths, through gross marshes, and through millions of tail-lengths of trees. I was now completely _beyond_ exhaustion, yet we were all forced to stay up to attend this stupid clan thing. Not that my opinion mattered; the young cats (like myself) weren't allowed any input in any clan-wide decisions. I looked to the white tom sitting contently next to me, a curious smirk spread across his face.

"What are you so happy about?" I implied, turning my whole body to face my fellow apprentice. He practically blended in with the snowy ground, save for his bright green eyes.

"What are you so _un_happy about? Aren't you excited to hear about the fate of our new camp?" I could detect the definite eagerness in his voice and facial expression. His tail whipping back and forth was a dead giveaway.

"Windpaw, do you really think I _give_ a rat's tail about what happens to this dumb camp?" I snapped.

"Trust me, Dawnpaw. You'd _care_ about this 'dumb camp' if we were minutes away from being attacked by a rabid herd of house cats!" Windpaw stood on his hind paws, mouth hanging open as he towered over my hunched form. Baring his little teeth, he roared, "_Grr, I'm a pettycat and I'm going to eeaatt yooouuu!"_

"Well, you've got the puny teeth of a pettycat," I rolled my eyes. _How did this guy become my best friend? _Windpaw and I reluctantly reverted our gazes to our leader. Not that I'm big on being a goody-two-paws and following orders, but if I hadn't shut up at that exact moment, I probably would've been the only one talking. By now, the warriors and elders had gathered around in uneven rows behind the apprentices, queens, and kits.

"As you all know," Serenestar's voice was stronger and sharper than before, obviously trying to catch the attention of the chattering cats. In response, the clan camp fell silent, and all eyes were now on the leader. Now, it was so quiet, you could hear the flick of a tail. She gave a relieved sigh, took a deep breath, and went on, "we have moved BlazeClan's camp quite a ways away from its original location. We have done this to be closer to hunting grounds and rivers. I'm sure our warriors and older apprentices have grown tired of the long walk to the far-out forests, but now, those same forests are only thirty tail-lengths away. We have quite a few more caves and shelters than before. In addition, they are a lot larger. Warriors, you will not be as cramped as you once were." a rising murmur of excitement arose as the cats (warriors and elder apprentices in particular) whispered amongst themselves. I heard Windpaw joist something excitedly in my ear, but I couldn't make out the words. I motioned for him to leave me alone. Nothing he said was ever of any importance, anyway (once, he'd interrupted my training to eccentrically introduce me to smooth rock he'd found. The rock, he'd insisted, resembled Serenestar's backside) . Everyone quickly fell silent once again as the leader continued.

"However, to some extent, this territory is more dangerous than the territory we previously inhabited. DarkClan camp is closer than before, and they see us as a threat to their territory. There are also a number of loners lurking in the bramble and are sometimes known to attack clan camps. Foxes are a potential threat to kits and inexperienced apprentices. We must be prepared for these dangers, but additionally look to the positive side," blah, blah, blah. I tuned out the rest, and the words turned to mush in my ears.

My insides tightened at the thought of BlazeClan being attacked by a neighboring clan. I hadn't yet taken part in a real fight; that was, one against another clan. I had only fought in training with my mentor, and that was something totally different (because I always lost). Once I had also challenged Windpaw in paw-to-paw combat, but I'd hardly count pushing the guy into a pond winning. I could tell that many of the other apprentices felt the same, the way they yowled nervously at each other and gazed nervously about themselves. I began to swing my head around to commerce with the more-than-hyper Windpaw, when my eyes abruptly locked upon a dappled, grey cat—unmistakably, a fellow apprentice—past him. A _female_ apprentice.

While Serenestar continued her super-boring speech about "staying calm" and all that jazz, I watched the dappled she-cat apprentice as she licked a forepaw and brought it slowly to her left ear. At the same time, she mumbled to yet, another apprentice. Probably a friend. A gentle smile formed across her face at something the other had said. I was curious to hear what the cats were saying, though it was impossible due to the still-rising cacophony encasing the huge group of cats.

"At the moment, I would like kits and queens to return to the nursery. Warriors, please discuss tomorrow's plans with your apprentices. Well, I suppose that is all." Serenestar spoke one last time, and hopped down from the ginormous idled rock. The moment this occurred, the clan immediately dispersed.

"Where's your mentor, Dawnpaw?" Windpaw's fat, white face soon blocked my view of the unknown cat. I attempted to look past it, but his whiskers were abnormally long, and his wide eyes were casting an I'm-bored-and-I-feel-like-being-nosey gaze.

"I...don't...know," I mumbled quickly, pulling my jet-black ears back. I tilted my head this time, not caring how obvious it seemed. Besides, that's what any smart apprentice would do if an annoying, rabbit-faced cat were staring at them mercilessly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure 'e'll be here any minute. So….what'cha think of the new clan camp?" this time he drew closer, beginning to jump wildly. You'd think he was on boysenberries or something. He was so close, his nose almost touched mine.

"I told you, I don't give a bear's butt about this camp," I answered harshly, sleepiness probably beginning to set in. I took a step to the left, and then to the right, avoiding the tom's eyes.

"I say there's still a lot to be desired," Windpaw tapped a furry paw on his cheek, like I'd asked his opinion (which I hadn't). "First of all, the apprentices' den. Have you seen all those little holes in the roof?"

"It's a cave, Windpaw." I sighed. Could he _ever_ shut up?

"Right, but still. There are only seven leaf-pile beds. It's like-"

"There are only seven apprentices." How did he stay so hyper so late at night?

"Yeah, but what if they decide to recruit another apprentice, and they don't have a bed? Not to mention the cave is only thirty tail-lengths wide. "

"I'm going back to the den," I said wearily, starting back toward the cave on the far side of the camp. Maybe if I turned around and walked the other way, he'd get the picture...

"What 'bout your mentor?" Windpaw persistently came up on my left, matching his stride with mine. So much for that plan. "Serenestar said-"

"I'll talk to Hawksong in the morning," I insisted, plopping down at the cave's entrance. For some odd reason, saying my mentor's name aloud felt so good. After all, he'd recently become my mentor. Heck, _I'd _only recently become an apprentice. There was something about it that made a cat feel important; it was certainly not as fun as wrestling in the kit den, but it was satisfying (though, I had to admit, I found myself wishing I were still a kit most of the time). I found myself smiling, but it disappeared as soon as my big-mouthed counterpart took a seat next to me.

"But, _Dawnpawww_!" He looked a little too comfortable, the way his amber eyes resembled a spoiled kit's and his voice almost a whine.

"Goodnight, Windpaw," I said dismissively. I rolled my eyes, and entered the damp den, now only lit by the meager glow of the full moon. I let out a sigh of relief as I padded to the large pile of fresh leaves in the far corner of the room. Before long, I collapsed onto the bed and did a long-awaited stretch.

My heavy eyelids were half closed before I noticed the beautiful she-cat I had seen earlier, a bed away, encased in deep slumber atop her leaf throne. Her limbs were sprawled unevenly on either side of her, head tucked to her chest. Her dappled cheeks, tail, and stomach were strikingly luminous under the reflected beams of moonlight. I had never seen anyone or anything sleep so soundlessly and prettily before. It was a wonder how I hadn't noticed her before. How long had she been an apprentice? My eyes lingered on the cat for a few long moments before my eyelids sank closed and I slowly fell to sleep.

**The Apprentices' Den,  
BLAZECLAN CAMP**

_"Dawnpaw… ...Daawwnnpaw…_" In what seemed like mere seconds, I could feel the warm breath of another cat across my neck and on my cheeks. The voice was attempted to sound eerie, but I quickly recognized it as Windpaw's, even through closed eyes.

"Windpaw, lemme _sleeeeeppp!_" I murmured, turning onto my side. I tried in vain to relax my muscles and block out the pest's obnoxious voice. My lids were still heavy with the pressure of sleep. I hadn't even come close to recovering from the previous night's exhausting journey. The last thing I needed was the most annoying cat on the _planet_ depriving me of that sleep.

But, he wasn't going to give up. "Dawnpaw! Get up!" Windpaw persisted. Overeagerly, I felt him paw my back with vigorous motions.

"Go away…"

"No, you have 'ta get up! Serenestar's having an important meeting right now!"

"I swear, if it's about Sparrowtail's marriage counseling again—"

Windpaw took a large breath, the words coming out of his mouth so fast, they jumbled together in a huge mess. "No, they're sending off warriors on a search of the area! They're gonna explore the outer reaches of all of those trees and see if there are any other clans nearby– besides DarkClan, of course– and see what kind of prey is—"

"And your point…?" I yawned restlessly. How, in the name of _StarClan_ did he manage to always have so much energy? Was he even feline?

"My _point_ is that they're choosing some apprentices to go, too! They're going to pick us, I know it!" Here, he bounced exuberantly on his paw pads and his eyes went wider than I thought was possible.

I watched him intently as he rocked side-to-side like a tree in a storm, nearly faltering. Something inside of me urged my body to stand to all-fours and join in my friend's excitement. After all, they didn't welcome apprentices along on these types of exploits very often, and this one in particular seemed like big deal. Besides, it's not like there was anything fun to do around camp besides taunt Sparrowtail (Windpaw and I liked to go up to him, say stuff like, "Hey, there's a pretty she-cat over there behind that bush! She's waiting for you!" and then watch him hop over there and end up getting bitten by fire ants. No matter how many times we mentioned a "pretty she-cat" to him, he'd fall for it. This made his wife, Ivyfur, really mad. But, then again, a lot of stuff made her mad). Though I hated to think about the alternative, not getting picked for this adventure, I pushed the thought of my head. After all, there were other opportunities…right? Actually, there probably wouldn't be _any_ other opportunities like this one. It was the chance of a lifetime.

I stood up, meeting Windpaw's gaze with a large yawn. "Well, what're you jumping around for? We wouldn't want to miss that meeting."

**The Meeting Rock,  
BLAZECLAN CAMP**

The hustle and bustle of the Meeting Rock made last night feel like a quiet gathering. Obviously well-rested now, kits wrestled, played Capture the Tail, and Who Wants to Be a Warrior?; elders sat on the far side, sharing old-people stories that no one else wanted to hear; warriors spoke amongst themselves, bragging about what was in their apprentice's curriculum this week; and, the apprentices, overwhelmed with glee and excitement, were jumping up and down (Windpaw style), talking about why each one of them thought they'd be picked.

Pushing past an elder who was in the midst of talking about a friendly cat he'd met, Windpaw and I took a seat beside the pumped-up apprentices. Immediately, I scoured the premises in hopes of pinpointing the beautiful she-cat of last night. I just _had_ to meet her. Or, at least say hello. But, she was nowhere to be found. There being only seven apprentices, the group's size was in my favor. However, all four of my searches were fruitless.

I had to give up when Serenestar, with her commanding stance and imperious voice, appeared atop the Meeting Rock. Surrounding the Rock in a semicircle were all eighteen of the clan's fearless warriors—many looking amazingly resolute and bearing scars of battle. Among them were Sparrowtail, the victim of Windpaw's and my merciless pranks; Birchfur, Windpaw's eccentric mentor; and, Hawksong, my own domineering mentor. My curiosity took hold, and, momentarily, I forgot all about my hunt:

"Good morning, BlazeClan. I trust that you all had a rewarding night's sleep after yesterday's demanding journey—"

I glared at Windpaw, who had interrupted my peaceful slumber. He feigned an innocent grin.

"I have called you all together at present," Serenestar continued, "to announce the morning's momentous expedition. To mark our settlement in new territory, our warriors—and I-will be embarking on an exploration of the outlying grounds. I saw it only fit that the clan would give a warm sendoff. The party shall return by midsun. But first, we would like to select four of our very special apprentices to accompany."

Naturally, there was a sudden burst of chatter amongst the lot of us. I turned to Willowpaw, a friend of mine who sometimes, along with his mentor, joined Hawksong and I for training. While we mewed our comments of excitement, Windpaw struggled to intrude on our conversation.

Serenestar, who had stopped speaking to allow for apprentices' giddy discussion, resumed. All of our words tapered to silence. "Chosen apprentices will not only accompany the expedition, but have the privilege of bringing back lunch for the clan. The warriors and I have been in conference for some time, making the hard decision of which apprentices will have the privilege. As I stated before, four of our seven apprentices will be selected. Sparrowtail, do the honors."

Sparrowtail stepped forward rather stoically. He was all business. There was a collective draw of breath from the apprentices, myself included. My paws tingled. I had this _in the bag_. While I hadn't necessarily any fighting skills, they weren't going to base their decision on _that_. Were they?

"The first apprentice we selected," Sparrowtail announced in a tenor, "is Hollypaw." Out of nowhere, the dappled she-cat I had so affectionately been searching for appeared. More in awe than in disappointment, I watched as she skipped up to the front of the Rock. So _that_ was her name: Hollypaw. How perfect. She _did_ rather remind me of a berry—small, sweet, and dainty. I found myself smiling. Good for her. Whoever she was, she probably deserved it.

"Next," Sparrowtail continued in an unbroken monotone, "is Willowpaw." I turned to my friend, crestfallenly congratulating him. I supposed he deserved it, too. Willowpaw was one of the only apprentices that could actually kill something—voles, rabbits. You name it, he kills it. So, it was obvious they'd need him in the whole bringing-back-lunch-for-the-clan endeavor, if nothing else. I watched my sandy-furred friend leap to Hollypaw's side, a euphoric smile engulfing his small face. His mentor beamed.

"Third," Sparrowtail said, still looking very annoyed to be playing emcee, "we have Earthpaw." A sallow tom in front of me skipped to join the others. His face and paws were permanently stained a dark black.

I heard myself groan.

"Don't worry, Dawnpaw," Windpaw chirped beside me. I felt like knocking him upside the head. "We're gonna be the last two."

Sparrowtail cleared his throat to announce the forth selection. But, as much as I wanted to believe Windpaw, my spirits sank. He called Ivypaw's name. I couldn't help myself from uttering an exclamation of surprise. Ivypaw, a slim tabby, was the most gossipy and shallow of the apprentices. Once, I'd tried to make friends with her and say hello. Instead of returning a warm word of greeting, she rolled her eyes, turned around, and told her friend I was stalking her. I'd seen her skip training several times in favor of a "hurt paw." How the warrior council had selected such a sly little pettycat, I hadn't the slightest.

At that point, I was beginning to worry; what if they didn't choose me? There were three of us that wouldn't be picked. I looked around. There were four of us remaining, all potential recruits: Elmpaw, a she-cat with a mess of untamed tan fur and a temper who served as Ivypaw's groupie; Mousepaw, a grey, kit-sized tom whose frequent anxiety made his name very fitting; Windpaw, my obnoxious and eccentric acquaintance; and me. I sighed in relief. Who was I kidding? I was the clear choice. I had this in _the bag_. The rest of them were losers.

"Oh, no, Dawnpaw!" I was startled by Windpaw's cry at my side. "Both of us aren't going to get to go! I hope you get chosen. Really. You're a better apprentice than I am. I _know _you'll get chosen."

"I _better_ get chosen," I muttered in response. Then, we were quiet.

It seemed like an eternity before Sparrowtail opened his muzzle to mew the last name. My tail swished in anticipation. This was it. This would set the foundation for my ascension to exalted-warrior status. I'd be a legend. And, it all would start here. Years later, I'd tell my kits about this grand day.

"The last and final apprentice whose company we request on this adventure—"

I held my breath. Windpaw's tail whipped me in encouragement.

"is—"

"Yes, yes?" I muttered under my breath.

"Windpaw!"

I felt my stomach churning. It couldn't be. It just _couldn't_ be!

Windpaw's fat face met mine, obstructing my view as usual. He was jumping up and down like a crazed rabbit, looking like he might explode with jubilance. His mouth was spread into smile bigger than his head (which is _extremely_ too large as it is), making his whiskers twitch. "Dawnpaw, Dawnpaw, can you believe it? They chose _me_!"

"I don't, I don't—" I stammered.

Prancing about, he abruptly stopped to study me. Upon his face was a look of concern. "Dawnpaw, are you okay?"

"I just _can't_—I mean, _you?_ But, all you do is jump around and get in everyone's business and annoy them to wit's end! You're so…stupid! You can't even fight!"

Windpaw, losing the bounce in his step, turned to join the others. His ears and tail drooped suddenly. "Yeah, I know. I'm pretty dumb. Sorry you didn't get chosen, Dawnpaw. You deserve it more than me." Then, he reverted his gaze to the welcoming party at the Meeting Rock, and trudged off to join them. What had I done? Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hawksong give me a knowing glare. He'd seen everything. I studied my paws.

"There you have it!" Thundered Serenestar. She gestured to the completed team with her tail. "So shall be BlazeClan's own Explorers. The remaining apprentices will have the all-so-important duty of watching over the kits and queens in our absence."

I surveyed the crowd. Nearly two-thirds were bumbling kits. Great. I had babysitting duty. And, I was stuck with Elmpaw and Mousepaw, two of the most antisocial freaks of nature I'd ever met. Not to mention my outburst at Windpaw. I had to make it right.

But, just when I stepped forward to apologize to my friend, the party was saying its last goodbyes and disappearing through a mess of brush. By the time I reached the end of the trees, all of them were clear off into the distance. Windpaw was lingering at the back of the pack, ears drooping and tail dragging in the dirt.


	2. Finders Keepers

This is about to get _a lot_ more intense. Brace yourself. And, of course, enjoy!

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**The Apprentices' Den,  
BLAZECLAN CAMP**

Almost immediately after the warrior jamboree left, round drops of water began falling from the sky. Normally, I hated storms. It was like StarClan made rain _just _to agitate an innocent apprentice, like myself. I couldn't tell you what it was. I guess I just didn't like walking around with a sopping pelt (that, in fact, would also explain my hatred of baths in the river).

But, anyway, this was the anomaly. I actually, strangely enough, _enjoyed _this particular sheet of precipitation. It was sufficient cover. With the rain as an imminent distraction, I could slip away, unnoticed (of course, if there hadn't been any storm that day, I probably would have come up with some obnoxious prank to serve as a distraction. Either way, avoiding responsibility was essential. Being responsible was, well, too much _work_). While I was technically supposed to be "keeping an eye" on the kits and queens, I took this as the perfect opportunity to retreat to the Apprentices' Den. I decided this was the perfect hideout because:

I didn't want to be stopped by one of the queens and tortured with one of their annoyingly pointless stories.

The Nerd Brigade, Elmpaw and Mousepaw, was already busy entertaining the kits in a puddle of mud and I hated kits (once, several of them had wanted to play medicine cat with me…and that hadn't gone over too well, to say the least).

My dappled jewel of a she-cat, Hollypaw wasn't around to admire furtively.

It was too wet to chill in any of my other hangout spots.

The Den was the perfect place to sit and sulk.

So, I basically just laid there, stretched out by the entrance, head resting on the ground, watching the rain fall. Making puddles. A peaceful position. I bet Windpaw would have enjoyed those puddles, jumped in them. He probably would have splashed the dirty water at me, too. It was calming, relaxing even, without Windpaw around. He felt compelled to touch, play with, and mess with everything in sight. He was like an overgrown kit, a cat that'd never grown up. And, I wasn't sure if he ever _would_. He'd be pestering me for moons.

_Moons_. I felt my stomach churn under my fur. We'd be full-grown warriors, with families, and he'd still be invading my personal space with his fat, white face. I didn't think I could deal with Windpaw for that long.

Besides, I'd had enough of him today to last nine lives. The stupid pettycat had stolen _my_ spot on the exhibition! He'd acted all, "Dawnpaw, _you_ should get the spot"; and, what does he do? _He_ gets the spot! Heck, he'd probably known all along that that spot was his. Windpaw's mentor had probably told him beforehand that the spot was his. Windpaw, himself was just playing innocent, play dumb.

Well, I decided, feeling my black tail thump rhythmically behind me, he didn't have to _play_ dumb. He just was dumb, naturally. He was just an overgrown kit. Nothing more. Not even worthy of being an apprentice. _I _was the better fighter, the better apprentice.

My ears perked up, almost automatically. There was young laughter in the distance, then a cry. One of the kits had probably fallen and hurt themselves, or gotten mud on his whiskers. Not that I'd expected superior babysitting skills from the Nerd Duo—after all, Mousepaw was probably no bigger than a kit himself. Maybe the cry had been Mousepaw's. I imagined the short and stubby tom giving a childish mew as he tripped into the mud, soaking his fur brown. I purred quietly, satisfied for a moment. _Maybe I should've taken the kit-watching gig after all. Might've been entertaining._

But, the cry was followed by another. Then, the yowl of a she-cat.

Something was happening. Someone was in trouble.

I dashed out into the downpour, immediately scouring the camp grounds for any signs of peril. But, the Meeting Rock and the clearing were empty. The large mud puddle that the kits and Nerds had been frisking in had been deserted. Had everyone already retreated to their dens to escape the rain? It _was_ falling pretty hard. In a matter of minutes, my dark coat had been soaked through. That was pretty plausible. But, then, what was all of the commotion about? One of the new queens was probably just giving birth. Yeah, I assured myself rather reluctantly, that was it. A birth. That was all.

I padded across the clearing, towards the queens' den. There was another sudden, high-pitched mew that made me jump. It had most certainly come from the queens' den. I felt my muscles relax. I'd been right. I dropped my head, stretched my neck for a moment. I watched the ground, watched my paw pads sink in the wet mush underneath me. I'd forgotten how much I'd liked the rain. Somehow, I didn't mind my heavy black fur weighing me down. Or the mush.

There, bent over and enjoying the weather, was where I first saw It.

It came out of nowhere, really.

I had looked up, alarmed by the sudden splash of frantic paws in water. A cat was rushing toward me, desperate for my help. I would be the apprentice to save the day, save the clan while our patrol was away. Right?

Wrong. It in fact, was _not_ a fellow clan member. It hadn't even been another cat. More like a shadowy creature. Dark, large. It was hard to see, in the harsh weather, what its face resembled. But, whatever it was, it lumbered toward me. And, I was genuinely terrified for the first time in my little life (Me and Windpaw had thought we were _scared_ the time Sparrowtail had fervently chased us out his "tom cave" in the woods. We'd been hiding there, spying on him as he cured poisonous weeds and plants like a crazy male medicine cat).

So, I did the only thing I could do. Run. Like that rabbit Hawksong caught at dinner.

I wasn't sure where I was going. All I knew was that I was running, running away from It. I could hear the Lumbering Beast at my tail. I ran, fur soaking in the downpour, sploshing through mud and puddles and flooded little creeks. I sprinted past the queens' den. Past the apprentices' den. It grunted behind me. I jumped. I ran faster. I reached the clearing. The Meeting Rock. The edge of the forest. It snarled, and I just kept running.

There were trees everywhere. Dozens. I recognized this area from my training with Hawksong. We weren't very deep into the brush. We never went very far. But, ironically, even though this small group of trees looked familiar, I didn't feel any more comfortable. If anything, it looked especially eerie under the darkened canopy of dripping leaves and clouds.

Was _that_ why I froze? Why I just stopped there? Because it was eerie? Because it was familiar? To this moon, I'm not even sure why I stopped. But, I'm telling you, I stopped there. Suddenly, I was feeling my heart pound. I held my breath. It took me a moment to realize it.

_Aw, vole breath! I had to do something! _

I looked around, suddenly frantic. Its nightmarish, monstrous pawsteps were behind me. And gaining.

So, I did the only thing I could think of.

I ran for a nearby fallen tree, one that had probably fallen many moons ago. It was wide, hollowed out, and open on both ends. I booked it in there, ran through.

But, something happened.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, really. Maybe, I was thinking the Thing behind me wouldn't fit in the opening? That it wouldn't be able to reach me inside the wood barrel?

There was a flush of wind by my ear. It prick up, alarmed. It had stuck a huge furry limb inside the top opening, claws flying. It could reach me, alright. It had nearly taken my ear off!

Naturally, I got out of there, real fast. Hawksong had never seen my run this fast, not even in sprinting drills.

But, the more I ran, I was running out of breath. I was slowing down. I was going in slow motion, my paws moving rhythmically in the mud as I went; but, not fast enough. Never fast enough. It was gaining on me. I could hear Its thunderous gait at my tail.

In a moment, I could fell a dull, distant pain in my ear. It had scraped me, after all! If there was blood, I couldn't feel it. It was running down my whiskers with a flurry of rain.

But, that wasn't the worst of it.

It got a hold on me.

It just came from an angle, from behind, and hit me in the flank. I was knocked over, somersaulted, rolled in the mud. Like, I was a kit who weighed no more than a limp bird.

But, even as I rolled in the mush for what seemed like a painful eternity, the thing was still on me. It held me down. As if I could've gotten up and padded away. It was powerful.

All I could see in those moments was It, a looming shadow ominously lit from behind with a mess of clouds. There was still rain. It even started to thunder. I think I saw a flash of lightning, too. It was like It had brought the storm with it. This thing on top of me, this shadow, was had singlehandedly (or, should I say, single paw-edly) angered StarClan. It must be pretty awful, I gathered, for StarClan to summon an entire storm on It's account. Whatever It was.

The entire time, I struggled. I writhed under It's iron paws, desperate for escape. Any type of escape. This would be an awful death, I'd decided. I couldn't even die a _noble _death (I didn't mind dying, so long as it was _nobly)_ unless I'd seen the aggressor's face!

But, the more I flipped over backwards in somersaults, the harder it was to break away. My whiskers were tingling and my head was throbbing.

I tried to fight back. I thought the valiant thing, the courageous thing to do would be to fight back. It was just my nature. So, I did what I was sure any good warrior would do: I clawed, I scratched. I pretended I was just in training with Hawksong. Or, at least, I _tried _to pretend. Still pinning me down, It didn't flinch. Underneath It's fur was pure, solid rock. Unbreakable. My efforts were in vain.

Whatever the Storm Monster wanted, it had me. _Finders keepers. _I was like a lone rabbit in the wild: alone, weak, helpless, and a juicy piece of property. Maybe even, like that rabbit, a meal. I belonged to It now. Even if I didn't know what It was. It could do whatever It wanted with me. It was just too strong.

I despised this, but I couldn't help it. I was trapped. And Its iron grasp wasn't letting up. If anything, it was tightening around me. Then, its paws (I saw now that they were paws) closed suddenly around my neck. It was cutting off my air. I felt my heart beating hard, tail falling limp.

I couldn't breath.

I tried to suck in a deep gulp of oxygen, but It was just squeezing too hard. My lungs couldn't take it.

That was where I became aware of more cries and yowls, seeming to come from every direction. They were the cries and meows of kits, queens, a few elders. The cries of a clan of helpless cats. The cries of a clan in peril.

But, as soon as I'd heard those cries, they were fading. The rain and clouds, the dark shadow of my captor were blurring. Everything was getting fuzzy. Then, blackness.

And, as I drifted away, the clan and the rain becoming a daze, I knew I had failed. I had failed as an apprentice. I had failed my mentor. Most of all, I had failed my clan. Wherever the Nerd Squad was, they had more loyalty than I had. _They _had at least stood up for the clan. As for me, I wouldn't be surprised if Serenestar threw me out. Banished me. Banned me from BlazeClan. Forced me to go rogue and become a loner. If I ever saw anyone else again, they'd make sure I ended up all alone, fending for myself in the forest.

Not that I didn't deserve it. Heck, _I'd _banish myself, if I weren't me. But, I _was_ me. I was just little, helpless Dawnpaw. No longer an apprentice. Just a helpless, clanless cat, drifting into a black abyss. Everything was turning black, fading to that gruesome color. Jet-black. The color of my pelt.

I was drowning.

Well, actually, _suffocating._

But, of course, the last thing I saw, on my closed lids, as everything faded to black, was Windpaw's fat, white face.

Figures.


End file.
